There's something magical about her
by joan.lili88
Summary: Ligeia is new in Domino City. She came to help a certain stubborn CEO and brought some magic with her. The stars are shining bright tonight.
1. ForgetMeNot

**A/N** Hey, guys! I felt like starting a new story, so this is it. Please, tell me what you think. Regarding my other two stories, sorry it's taking me so long to update, but I promise it will happen soon. I'm already working on the next chapters. It won't be any longer. So please bear with me for a little longer. Enjoy!

**1. Forget- Me- Not**

It was October the 25th when Miss Amelia died.

People have long ago erased the presence of that foreign lady from their memories ever since she stopped showing up in public. When the news of her death spread around, it seemed like that old dusty chest of memories of painful, regretful or insignificant things people usually keep locked from themselves, was opened in an instant, as their thoughts soon drifted to the skinny, silver-haired lady who occupied the mansion on the Wasurenagusa Hill.

There was nothing normal about her death.

When the red-blue lights shone in front of her house at 3 o'clock in the morning, people in their pajamas and night-gowns had already started to form a crowd in the streets. Although there wasn't much traffic at those early hours of the morning, the few cars passing by were stopped from their course by their owners' sudden interest in the strange event.

People were at first surprised at how the authorities got hold of her death. From what they known, she lived alone. No person was seen going in or out the mansion, not even the owner. It was a complete mystery. Even if she was old or somehow in a condition that wouldn't allow her to move, there would still be someone taking care of her, right? Someone to look after her, to buy her food and pay the bills.

A few years back they actually guarded the house at night for a whole month, just to see if anyone took care of those things at the shelter of darkness, but no one came. Since there was still no movement coming out from the mansion, no sign of anyone living there they started questioning whether she had perhaps moved without them noticing.

Of course, the thought of her being dead and no one knowing about it, got hold of them and they went to the police. Seeing the seriousness of the matter, the police decided to investigate the place. They entered the front yard, went up the mansions' front stairs and knocked at the door. They stood still and listened at the door for some sort of sound or movement but they couldn't hear anything.

People gathered in front of the mansion, motionless and soundless as a wall. They weren't curious whether she was dead or if she had moved, but more if she was alive. She's been living for so long there that she came to be considered a tourist attraction, or a monument of some sort.

When still no sound was heard, one of the police officers called out her name. They were all waiting for her to answer, waiting for her to appear at the balcony and show herself to the world for the first time in twenty years, but no one came. No light was seen at the window. No door was heard opening.

The police officer headed then to brake down door, to enter; the poor lady could be dead. It was in that moment that the front door opened slowly a few inches … enough for them to notice the slim figure of an old lady on the other side.

"Miss Amelia Rose?" The voice of the police officer was trembling. He was very young, and probably didn't have much field experience. It was obvious that the sudden appearance of her ghostly figure in the door way scared him to death. He was trying to control himself, but found it hard to. When no answer came he asked again.

"Are you Miss Amelia Rose?"

"Yes." Came the short monosyllabic answer of the person hiding behind the door. Her words was barely hearable. The officer had to lean in closer to hear it.

The crowd gathered in front of the mansion could only imagine what was going on. They didn't hear the door open, nor did they see her face. They didn't even hear her speak. They could only see that the police officer was talking to someone, and that was enough to feed their curiosity for the moment.

"Your neighbors…" The officer wanted to explain the entire situation to her. He tried to tell her that her neighbors were concerned about her well-being and suggested to let him in so that they could talk more, but was cut short in his words.

"Would you kindly tell the persons gathered in front of my house that I am fine and that they needn't worry about me. All I ask is to be left alone."

The crowd couldn't hear anything. They could only see the officer talking to someone, making some gestures and then all of the sudden him turning around, leaving the front yard and closing the gate behind him. He looked a little disturbed, like he was out of place.

"Miss Rose kindly asks of you not to worry about her anymore and not bother her again. She's fine."

He then got into his car and left. People needed a few seconds to take his words in. So Miss Amelia was still alive. They wanted to find out more about what she said, about what she looked like but their chance to get more information rode off together with the police officer.

A couple of days after the incident people started talking again, so there was no surprise when new rumors started to circulate from mouth to mouth. Yes, it seemed like the old sleepy neighborhood had been brought to life as Miss Amelia has yet again became the talk of the town after two decades.

Despite the officer's request to leave Miss Amelia alone there were still some women who refused to set the matter to rest. Miss Amelia was a representative of the female sex and a senior citizen of the community, so some respect was required.

A group of five middle-aged women gathered one day at the house of Mrs. Rin Amaya, a nurse at the local hospital and also the proud mother of three children, to bake some pies and some healthy food (a chicken soup and some rice) for the lonely lady. They were pretty satisfied with themselves as to thinking it in the first place and at about six o' clock in the afternoon they all shot off for Miss Amelia's house, despite their husband's advices as to "Leave the poor woman alone. That's what she wants."

Unfortunately the women were to full of themselves to take any attention to what their husbands were saying and replying that she needed being taken care of, but she might be too proud as to ask for help herself, they went on their way.

There was no surprise when a quarter of an hour had passed since the fifth time Mrs. Amaya ringed the doorbell, and no one came at the door. They were ready to call the police again when a light at the upper window was lit and the figure of a lady was seen behind the green drapery. That' s all it took to shoot the five women up.

It was obvious that Miss Amelia had no intention in taking their gifts, after all it would have been impossible for her not to see them coming over and staying in front of her door for more than fifteen minutes.

But despite the outrageous and bashful situation, they decided to swallow their pride and when they were asked about what happened they stated that Miss Amelia kindly asked them not to bother her anymore as she was suffering from a stomach illness and she was to follow a strict diet.

That was the last time people tried to establish contact with her.

Although in the beginning people often walked pass her house with interest again almost hoping to see her at the window, they soon forgot all about the silver-haired lady in the great gable mansion and went on with their lives.

Children were the only ones who were still trying to come into contact with the ghostly figure. They would stop in front of the gate and wait there for hours for something to happened; waiting to be surprised again, as they were back then when the police officer went and talked to her. They would always play games in her yard just to draw her attention, and seeing that no one told them to stop they kept on playing. One of them actually thought he saw Miss Amelia looking at them from one of the top windows, smiling back at them, but since the incident didn't repeat itself all the other children thought he had lied.

They kept on doing this for a couple of months, but nothing happened. The mansion regained its rigid and lifeless self again, and they, along with the adults, stopped showing importance regarding the matter any longer.

The rumors also started to fade away after a few weeks due to lack of information, and silence settled again in the neighborhood. That was five years prior to the events of the night of October, the 25th.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

The death of an old lady isn't something out of ordinary. And she was very old, so old that no one could remember her age or when she first arrived in that coastal Japanese city.

"Miss Amelia came here a long time before I was born." Came the soft mild voice of an old lady. She was in her early eighties, was wearing a white night-gown that went till the ground, covering her feet. One would think that such a long gown would be uncomfortable and trouble ling for the old woman, but then again she was very full of energy for someone her age.

Her name was Tomoko Katsumi, and her family owned a traditional family restaurant, that had been running successfully for the past five decades now. She was one of the oldest inhabitants of that neighborhood, as her family moved there at the beginning of the 19th century. Sure, at that time the city was no larger than a handful of houses.

"My mother used to tell me stories about her." The people's attention was turned towards the old woman as she began to tell the story.

It was strange. Most of the persons present were very young. The majority of them heard about Miss Amelia, but they have never seen her. As far as they were concerned Miss Amelia was nothing more than a name on a post box. And that was all there was to it. That was all that made the connection to the red- brick gable mansion that was no towering them. But now, for some reason, they seemed drawn to her; they wanted to find out more.

She always had that effect on people. She always made them talk about her; always made them turn their heads towards her; always made them try and reach out to her.

"I believe Amelia Rose was her name, though I had never had the pleasure to make her acquaintance. My mother told me that she actually spoke to her once, but sometimes I doubt the truthfulness of her statement. I believe that she merely dreamed of talking to her, or maybe she wished it for so long that she ended up believing it. The truth is that when Miss Amelia first came here, everybody was mesmerized by her fair angelic beauty and her powerful personality, though they would never have admitted it. There wasn't a single person in our small town, man or woman, that didn't want to make her acquaintance."

She paused and as she did so it seemed like time almost stopped. She took a look around. Everybody was staring at her, waiting breath in their throats for her to go on with the story. Somewhere in the distance a clock struck four.

"Her father was a wealthy investor from the West. I think New Orleans was the city they came from, somewhere from America. I don't remember quite well what he dealt with back home, but I know for a fact that they came here when World War I started. They were on a trip at first, but at the outburst of war they decided to stay here. I don't think that her father was married, my mother never mentioned a wife. People at that time came up with their own personal conclusions to the entire situation. One more tragico-romantic than the other. Some said he was a widower, that his beloved wife died in their mansion back home, and seeing he couldn't handle living in a place that reminded him of her, he decided to move as far away from it as possible. Others believed she died while giving birth to Miss Amelia. There even were some rotten mouths which suggested his wife left him because he was an alcoholic and an abusing husband. But I doubt that was the case."

The old lady went at the side of the road to seat on a bench. Although she was very energetic for someone her age, she still was pretty old and after standing for more than a half an hour she needed some rest.

"In the late twenties and the beginning of thirties this house was the center of entertainment for the entire area. The greatest parties I have ever witnessed were held here."

Her gaze was turned to the red-brick house that was standing tall in front of them. When she talked about it, it was like the house was becoming a real part of her story, as if it was trying to come forth and relate its roaring years itself. It stood proud in that swelling darkness.

"Yes, Amelia really caused an uproar at that time and many people judged her for what she did. She was soon transformed from the angel she was so taken in by the gazes of the others to a low-life demon, which cares for nothing than to indulge in sin."

As she was saying this Mrs. Tomoko Katsumi's mouth twitched, in an expression of disdain, but the ones witnessing it didn't know whether it was because of what Amelia did, or because of how easily the people back then spitted on the lost angel's image.

"Her father died to a severe infection. Back then we didn't have much medical aid. Everybody expected her to mourn after her loss. I honestly can't imagine what they expected of her: to lock herself in the house, to brake all contact with the outside world and never live again? No. I think that no matter what she had done, it would have still look outrageous to them. She brought that in them. So when she started to organize those parties and was seen with all those different men every night, she really did became our Discordia. People have gone crazy. They were arguing on the streets as to why she did those things. It was insane. And I'm sure she noticed it, too, because soon after, the parties stopped and she withdrew from the world in this lonesome mansion. And she stayed there decades after decades, until she was swallowed within."

The front door opened and the paramedics came out carrying the body of a woman on a barrow. Mrs. Katsumi could only thank the heavens poor Miss Amelia was not wrapped in a black plastic back. That image would have been too horrid for her to handle.

The body was covered with a white sheet. She wanted it away. She wanted so much to see her one last time. To see her angelic figure; her kind and smiling face; her deep blue eyes; her silver hair. They all wanted it. There before them two paramedics were carrying a monument, a legend, the person they will never forget.

When they put her inside the ambulance their hearts' skipped a bit. It was like everyone was loosing a bit from themselves tonight. Even the ones who only knew her from stories felt the strong connection.

Another bell sound was heard. Somewhere in the distance, a clock struck five.

The ambulance's doors were shut and the car started to move. As it was fading in the distance so were the figures of the people. Mrs. Katsumi stood there a little while longer despite her daughter-in-law's pleadings to head home as the morning fog had already began to settle in.

How lonesome the mansion looked. How lifeless. The tiny sparkle that shone from inside it, that kindled of mystery has faded away.

She that suddenly felt a weight swinging from the side of her gown. When she looked down she came to eye with the figure of a small girl. It was little Ai, the daughter of Ayaka Beniko, a neighbor of hers who worked as a librarian for the local library. She was a kind and cute girl but terribly shy. Her mother was aside talking to another female person. She thought she probably didn't notice her daughter leaving.

"Hey swettie." She said and started taking little Ai to her mother when the little one spoke.

"She told me to tell you she's sorry."

Mrs. Kazumi was surprised. She didn't understand what the girl was talking about or who she was referring to.

"Who, swettie? Who is sorry?"

"Miss Amelia. She's sorry. She never meant to cause such an uproar."

"Miss Amelia told you that? When?"

"Last night. In the garden. I lost my ball and went in to take it. She was plucking some lilies from her garden. She said it was for her trip and for…."

"Ai, come honey. We're going home." Ai didn't have the chance to finish her sentence.

Mrs. Kazumi was stunned. No one has seen Miss Amelia for over five years and now, the very night of her death she chose to show herself to a little girl?

She smiled. "Amelia Rose. There always was something magical about you."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

When the corner announced that Miss Amelia died of natural causes it came to no surprise. She was pretty old. But the mystery regarding the circumstances of her death still lingered.

Who announced the authorities? She was leaving alone. When asked they could only answer that the person who called was a woman who wouldn't state her name. That didn't bring light into the matter. On the contrary, it only made the suspicions greater.

But the community was shaken one mouth after her death. Seeing that Miss Amelia didn't have any relatives, they all expected for the state to take the property and sale it to the highest bitter.

The surprise was all the more great when the local press got hold of an interesting piece of information. It would have seem that Miss Amelia had a will, and in this will she expressed her desire for the house and the surrounding property to be handed over to two of her relatives. Unfortunately they couldn't find out more as to who the two heirs were, nor what they were called.

So when the two inhabitants settled in, the neighborhood was again awoken from its deep slumber.

**A/N** Thanks for taking the time to read it. I hope you enjoyed it.


	2. Dawn of Mistrust

**2. Dawn of Mistrust**

A new land, a new neighborhood, a new life…those things weren't unfamiliar to the eighteen year old Ligeia Carlton. She's been on the road for so long, that she couldn't even remember which country she belonged to anymore, which city to call home. But despite all the instability in her life, the fact she was moving around so often didn't bother her at all. She loved meeting new people, discovering new places, learning new things and with time she came at peace with the thought that soon after she would have to say good-bye and start over.

First time she was old enough to realize the significance of a parting it broke her heart into thousands of pieces. It all came to her so fast and so sudden that her mother often wondered how she survived it all.

Ligeia was four when her parents divorced. She wished she could say she hadn't expected that to happen, that there were no signs. But she saw them, even at that small age, she saw them. Her parents were always arguing. Though not in front of her, she found it hard to ignore their loud voices cutting the silence in the middle of the night.

She wanted to be brave. She wanted to act tough, to be strong thinking that she could somehow pass it over to her parents and make them strong. But it was in vain. Her father left them in a heavenly morning in March. Ligeia could remember it perfectly, like it only happened five minutes ago.

She was happy. Her parents hadn't had an argument in almost a month and to her it seemed like things got better. She was woken by the soft smell of fresh backed nutmeat, her mother used to prepare for breakfast every morning alongside a huge cup of warm cocoa milk and some cherry jam and butter. Cherries were her favorite fruits, even now. And she loved her mother's home made jam so much that she would often eat a whole jar in a single breath.

But little did she know then that what awaited her downstairs wasn't a family breakfast but more like a soothing one. Her father's luggage greeted her when she came down and before she could realize what was happening her father swoop her up into his arms, hold her tightly at his chest, whispered a "I will always love you." and gone he was.

In that moment she wanted so badly to run after him and tell him not to go, but for some reason she couldn't. For some reason she didn't care. She thought it was because she was in shock. That's what her mother also thought. But when days had passed, and then weeks, and then months and she still didn't show any sign of pain, any sign of sadness or confusion her mother started panicking. So she took her to the only place she knew it could help her. She took her to her aunt's house. They got on a plane and after a ten hour flight they arrived at their destination.

Miss Amelia was a nice kind hearted woman. Her hair was the color of silver just like Ligeia's was, and her eyes a deep shade of blue just like Ligeia's were. If her advanced aging was visible on her body, on her wrinkle face, on her freckled skin, there was no sign of it in her eyes. Those were the eyes of a young girl in love …. In love with love itself. A woman free from all boundaries, a woman no force could bring to heel.

It was already dark outside when they arrived at the red-brick gable mansion. A thunder storm was raging outside and there was no man or woman in sight. To a stranger's eye the house seemed deserted, but to them it was warmer and more comforting than anything they felt in months.

That has been a night of revelations, of self-awareness. Ligeia came to know who she really was, what place her family occupied in the world, and what she had to do.

It was in that moment that reality struck her. Her father had abandoned her. She cried that night until the early hours of the morning. She cried like she never cried before and never cried since.

When they left the mansion it felt like she left a piece of herself behind with Miss Amelia. She wanted so much to stay with her but she somehow knew she couldn't. They all had their own paths they needed to follow, although it was painful to see that they didn't lead them in the same direction.

Ligeia went with her mother. She was reborn at the age of four, a new life ahead. Since then she traveled all over the world along side her mother and now that she thought about it, there wasn't any other place in the world she would rather be.

The alarm clock buzzed as the big tongue showed six. Ligeia had already been awake for an hour now. It had been her first night spent in their new house, well kind of, for they only arrived five hours ago and decided to take a small nap before unpacking. They were going to start early in the morning as there were a lot of things that needed being taken care of.

Ligeia got up and took a look around. The house seemed empty without Miss Amelia despite the two new inhabitants. The house had gotten used to the old lady and found it hard to get used to with the two young ones. She felt sorry for it, after all it lost its heart a month ago. She thought how hard it must have been for it to witness Miss Amelia's death and not being able to do anything about it. It has been hard for her and her mother, too, when they found out.

The owlet had been announcing her death weeks before.

She fetched a sigh. It was pretty early in the morning and looking at her mother's sleepy figure beside where she slept she thought it wasn't the end of the world to let her sleep a little longer. Just until she makes some green tea. Ok, until she makes breakfast.

Her mother, Marianne Rose was a well-know anthropologist and it was because of her job that they had to move around often. She had shoulder-length chestnut hair, and emerald colored eyes. She was forty but she looked much younger. That was a family mark for all the women in her family. They all looked younger than they actually were.

She was a responsible, mature and hard-working person, but unfortunately not a morning person. And Ligeia, knowing her mother all too well, went to the kitchen to prepare some energy-boost- drink for the oncoming day.

As she was going down stairs towards the kitchen she couldn't help but admire the great photographs hanging from the wall. They were quite old but looked so alive, and looking at them closely she almost had the feeling of being sucked into their world, their time; the glamorous roaring years of the 1920s.

That was another thing she and Miss Amelia had in common. They both loved photography, but while Miss Amelia's photographs focused more on locations, Ligeia's focused more on people. She always believed that a photograph could catch a glimpse at one's soul, and she enjoyed having such a connection with the people.

Ligeia' s thoughts found themselves drifting away to that night fourteen years ago, when she last saw Miss Amelia. She wished she didn't have to go. She wished she'd still be here, be happy together.

A black shadow crossed her way and a white porcelain vase with lilies almost fell to the ground if it was not for Ligeia's quick reactions.

"Thetis! How often do I have to tell not to sneak behind my back! You almost broke the vase." She took a match and lit a half-way through burnt candle and as its light shone the room, the figure of a grizzled cat with white stripes appeared in front of her. She was doing her toilette and seemed not to be too bothered at her master's harsh words.

She picked the cat up. "Where's Charley, by the way?" she asked in a curious tone, and Thetis understood her words because she jumped from her tight embrace and went into the living room where, at the feet of a dusty crimson dressed armchair, lay a dog. He was a Blue Lacy of age two in human years.

The poor thing was writhing and kicking with his paws. The gloomy atmosphere of the house was giving him a 'haunted' time, but Thetis immediately rushed by his side and began to nurse him. At this, Charley immediately calmed down and drifted away to sleep in the embrace of a meat- filled dream, Ligeia childishly thought.

They found Charley two years back in a bush by the side of a road while traveling through North Carolina. He was badly wounded, the victim of some immature kids' joke. Blood was running down from his right ear and he was in danger of going deaf. His left paw was broken and had countless bruises all over his small body. When they took him to the doctor's office he said that he had small chances of recovering.

The entire night they never left his side, and by morning he already started showing signs of recovering. They then decided he will become the newest member of their family and named him after John Steinbeck's dog. He always considered his small partner a strong and prideful being and cherished him more than he did most people.

It was at that time that Thetis discovered her motherly instinct. He cared so much for the pup, which was pretty unusual since she was a cat and he a dog, and they should have hated each other like … cats and dogs do. But that didn't happen. Not even when Charley grew. He would always run to Thetis when he was sad or upset or in some kind of trouble like for example tipping over the garbage dumpster or chewing on Marianne shoes.

With time he, too, came to realize his role in the family and as such he became over- protective on the other members, especially on Ligeia. He never let any one go near her. And when saying no one … meaning literarily no one. He once jumped on poor old Mr. Schutz while Ligeia was helping him carry the bag of groceries inside the house. He didn't bit him or anything, he just gave him an odd look. Ligeia could only laugh at the thought of what he would do if she ever had a boyfriend and they'd become close. Charley would probably chew one of his arms off.

Poor Mr. Schutz. And it wasn't even his fault. He was so scared after that unexpected encounter that he'd step out the house five minutes early before Ligeia would, just to be on the safe side.

"Morning, hon, what time is it?" the figure of her mother appeared in the living-room's door and Ligeia nearly screamed for fear.

"Jesus, you're going to give me a herz attack. It's six thirty."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Marianne was still wearing the clothes she wore last night when they finally arrived at their new home after a ten hour flight and another two hour road trip. She wouldn't have believed that the roads in Domino City were so full at that late hour of the night. Busy people.

"I thought I should let you sleep in for a while longer. Just until I would make breakfast." Ligeia was still wearing her dark- blue jeans and a green blouse. It had been pretty cold last night, despite the fact that they did turn on the heat. The old heater thing protested for an half an hour or so, but it finally gave in. They would have to replace it though. It was getting a bit to 'old-fashioned' for the 21st century. Actually, there were a lot of things that needed to be replaced or repaired or redecorated.

"Thanks, hon. But you know I always make breakfast."

"Well, since I love you so much and since I didn't save any money for your birthday, consider this your birthday present." Ligeia was taking out some rye bread and some cherry-jam from their luggage. They haven't had time to unpack their things yet seeing that they got home so late last night, and it was sort of difficult to track the little bastards down. The green tea, they couldn't find, but that was no problem since Miss Amelia also liked drinking it, so there was a lot of its sort in the small kitchen bins.

Soon the house was filled with the smell of fresh tea and toasted bread, a too familiar sent for both of them. It's true: home is where your loved ones are. It didn't even felt like they were in a new house.

"Why don't we turn on the TV. See what's new." It seemed like the small antic TV was something else they needed to replace. Sure it wasn't an 150inch plasma TV, but at least it worked on the only program it run on: Japan's national channel.

The usual news were running: politics, world economy, elections in America. Nothing worth jumping off the chair. But then something caught their attention. News regarding a new and improved digital version of the well known Duel Monsters game and Ligeia's heart jumped a bit as its creator, the CEO of KaibaCorp appeared on the TV screen.

He was wearing a dark-grey suit and a blue shirt, an attire quite different from his usual white trench-coat. He was interviewed by a young dark-haired reporter, who was so obviously flirting with him, but to her dismay he didn't answer her with the same attitude.

"The new and improved version of Duel Monsters will allow a more real holographic representation of the card games…" his words were flying through Ligeia's years, but she couldn't take them in. Her thoughts drifted away to her life five thousands years ago … to the life of Kisara, as memories from back then came flashing back.

It hasn't been easy for her to deal with all that. And despite the fact that she was a person who lived in the present, she still couldn't ignore her past no matter how hard she tried. There were times in which she wished to forget all the dreadful things that happen to her previous self, and times when she wished she could relive them. The truth of the fact was that she was confused. Confused about who she was back then; confused about who she was now; confused about him and what she felt about him.

Living one life was hard enough for any person. She, unfortunately, lived two.

"Hey, look, Ligeia! Your boyfriend's on TV."

"He's not my boyfriend!!!" Ligeia shouted so loud that Thetis nearly tilted over the bowl of milk from which she was drinking. Face red as a crab, Ligeia started to fold back the dishes.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of having been the mistress of the High Priest, of Egypt. You could have been worse. You could have been the one who washed his feet." Ligeia frowned. She knew what was she was doing. She was pushing her to the edge. Marianne always told her that she needs to accept her past, or else she wouldn't be able to live in the future. But Ligeia still found it hard to identify herself with Kisara. True, Kisara was a part of her, but she wasn't her completely. There were living in different times, different societies, they were having different families and different believes. There was practically almost nothing more keeping them together than the way they looked.

"And besides he is kind of cute if you really think about it. Though I wouldn't consider him my type."

"Of course you wouldn't" came Ligeia's ironical remark "you, after all, like European blood-sucking noble men."

It was Marianne turn to blush. "Oh, it's that how it's going to be, is it now?"

"You started it."

"I'll let you know that Vlad was nothing than a gentleman with me, despite what people thought of him. And I was and always will be in love with him." Marianne said in a playful tone while she headed upstairs to get change, Ligeia not far behind her.

"You do realize that your great true love is Dracula, right?"

"Vlad was anything but that. He was a little … eccentric, but nevertheless a good man."

"No mom. Picasso was eccentric, Van Gough was eccentric. Ozzy Osbourne is eccentric. He was just playing vampire."

"Please. He wasn't like that at all. He was a good strategist who was cursed with a lamentable faith and even more lamentable friends. He just was naïve enough to trust the wrong persons. And, for your information, he never drunk or bathed in blood."

"Ok, so why do they call him Vlad the Impaler?"

"Well, being the great strategist who he was, he knew how to make others fear him. He used to impale his enemies to impose fear and respect. He actually impaled some of his own men. There were some who had injuries on their back. That was a sign that they tried to flee the battlefield, to desert their commander and their companions-in-arms, and he had no time and patience for cowards. Oh, and his 'name' Dracula has absolutely no connection with the devil. His father received the Order of the Dragons, hence the name Dracula. He was actually quite a romantic. He once took me in the middle of the night by the side of a lake where he arranged a date by the candle-lights. You should have seen them, Ligeia, there were hundreds of them."

Marianne was too absorbed by her sweet recollection of the date, to notice the face Ligeia made. Talking about falling in love with a bad-boy.

They were both brought back from their space-out moment by the sound of a bell. The cluck downstairs struck seven. Ligeia headed for the window, while her mother was running through the luggage in search for something to wear. Outside there was a strange looking boy who was sticking around the house with what seemed to be a photo-camera around his neck.

Ligeia motioned her mother to come to the window. They both stared at the odd looking boy with blond hair, almost amused at his attempt to climb over the fence.

"I don't think he knows someone moved in. I don't think he's that stupid to try that knowing that someone was inside. That's trespassing." Her mother replied. "We have the legal right to shoot him, or better, let's give him pimples. That's worse than death to a teenager."

"Now, what kind of good witches would we be if we did that? I better go downstairs and talk to him before he causes trouble … or sees something he shouldn't" Ligeia said while heading down the stairs. She was trying to adjust her clothes, at least to show some sign of decency, but she was a far cry away from that, seeing that she hadn't had the chance to brush her teeth, wash her eyes or comb her hair.

People have always had suspicions regarding Miss Amelia. They always considered her to be a witch especially because she had such a strong effect on men, but the truth of the manner was, that although she did possessed magical powers, like all the women in the Rose family did, she never put them to practice against people. That was something that was forbidden.

She just had that magical charm about her that had nothing to do with potions or spells, but which still drove people crazy.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Joey Wheller was on the road to get revenge. He's been the mock of the others for five years ever since he saw old Miss Amelia at the window, but the other boys didn't believe him. Not even his friend Tristan didn't believe him and he was determined to prove to that back-stabbing friend of his that he was right.

As far as he knew, the mansion was deserted. He wasn't exactly the type of guy to read a newspaper, so he had no idea that the whole neighborhood was expecting two new inhabitants, nor did he know that the house had already been occupied.

After some effort and some scratches on his face he had finally made it pass the fence. He was all prepared: camera around his neck, snickers in his feet in cause of an emergency get-away, bravery in his heart. He got across the front-yard and headed over to the back kitchen. He was actually pretty satisfied with him self that he made it that far. From now, he thought, it was all just a piece of cake.

Joey was ready to open the kitchen window and get in when the figure of a cat jumped right across his face. The poor boy got such a fright that he roll over his back and fell head first into a pile of mud. Charley was not far behind Thetis, and before Joey could get up and run for the hills, Charley already found a comfortable spot right in front of him, allowing Joey a front-row glimpse at his drawn teeth.

"D-o-w-n b-o-y", Joey muttered in the most sweetest voice anyone ever heard. And if Tristan had been there he would have probably recorded him and afterwards post the video on Youtube.

Charley was anyways not impressed. The human dared to enter his family's domain. That had to be punish.

"It's ok, Charley. I'll tale care of this." Charley's face expression softened and he stepped further from the boy, but not far enough just incase the boy got ideas.

The girl saved his life and Joey could be nothing but grateful. For what he knew he could have been dead by now. As Ligeia drew nearer, he couldn't help but wonder why she looked co familiar.

"May I help you?" Ligeia asked in a soft kind voice. Joey stood a moment just starring at her like he was witnessing man's first step on the moon. She was so beautiful, she took his breath away. He never felt like that before. There was something about her that was mesmerizing him.

Ligeia heaved a deep sigh. She wished she didn't have that effect on people. It was a family's curse. They were all so … enchanting.

"Are you alright?" Joey was brought down to earth by her soft and kind voice.

"Oh, yes. Sorry I was trespassing. I didn't know anyone was here." He was trying to excuse himself, though he looked kind of silly scratching his head the way he did.

"It's still private property regardless if anyone leaves here or not." She was rapping his fingers, but her kind and gentle voice confused him to the point in which he didn't know if she was really telling him off or just mocking him.

"Errr…. Are you going to call the police?"

The boy was panicking and Ligeia regretted she made him feel that way.

"No." she said while smiling. Joey calmed down. That was a close one. "Come. We need to take a look at those wounds of yours."

Joey complied. Not because he really wanted her to take a look at him, though the scratches on his face did sting a little, or because he had the opportunity to spend more time with her, a thought which sent shivers down his spine, but because now he had the chance to look around the house, no one entered in twenty- five years.

"Thanks." As they entered the kitchen Joey noticed the huge pile of luggage and boxes. "You just moved in?"

"Yeah," Ligeia said while looking for some home- maid calendula cream to take care of the scratches. "We've just arrived last night."

Joey was looking around in search of some kind of evidence to support their suspicions that Miss Amelia was indeed a witch. The woman must have been over a hundred when she died. That wasn't normal, right? Well he guessed it was, if the respective person lived a healthy, dependency-free life.

Ligeia noticed him searching out the house and she felt a strong urge to punch the boy in the face. Maybe her mother's idea to give him some pimples wasn't that bad after all.

"Now, this won't sting, but your face will be greasy for a while." she said that while she was spreading the cream all across his face. That was hardly asked for, but the boy did deserve it after snooping around like he did. "I'll give you this cream to take home. You'll be good as new in no time."

Charley suddenly stumbled in, barking at the sight of the closeness between the two of them and Joey jumped for fright on the kitchen table. Ligeia couldn't control herself anymore and burst into laughter. The boy was really having a bad day. He must be an Aquarius, she thought.

Ligeia finally calmed Charley down in which she asked Thetis to play with him. She was always such a good distraction for the young dog.

"Hello, there." Marianne came into the kitchen. She had finally changed her clothes and was now wearing a grey willow sweater and some baggy jeans.

"Hello!" Joey replied while straightening himself.

"So you're the one going through our bushes." Joey's face grew red.

"I'm sorry about that." he said and his voice sounded sincere. Maybe he wasn't that bad, Ligeia thought. He then caught him taking a glimpse at Thetis.

"What? Did you expect her to be black?" she said in a mockingly voice.

"ehh… nooo. … I….I'm sorry. I have to go. I'm late for school." As he was rushing out the house Ligeia shouted out to him "I'm Ligeia, by the way."

When Joey turned to face her she was wearing that soft sweet smile that made him feel so happy and warm inside.

"I'm Joey." He wanted so badly to stay longer, to get to know her better, but his mobile phone wasn't on his side as it emphatically started ringing. It was Tea, no doubt, reminding him that he was going to be late for the third time this week. He should hurry, or else he'll end up in detention…again.

"Joey … it's nice meeting you."


	3. First Kiss

**Ch. 3 First Kiss**

"You guys!" Joey entered, almost screaming, inside the class-room, not noticing that the bell had already rung for five minutes and that Mr. Makino was already in the class-room, with a rather annoyed look on his face.

"Mr. Wheeler," he said in an angry tone "I've had just about enough of you always showing up late to my class."

"But…"

"Be quiet. You have after school- detention. Now seat down."

Joey couldn't protest any longer and went to his seat, in the laughter of the others. However the freshness of the news couldn't put him to rest and willing to share it with the rest of the group, he tore a piece of paper from his notebook and wrote on it _Big news. The house of the old witch has two new inhabitants. Talk after class_ and then passed it on to Tea, Tea to Yugi and Yugi to Tristan. This was indeed great news especially since they had been the talk of the whole neighborhood for the last month. Sure it wasn't nice gossiping about someone, but they were humans nonetheless and curiosity it's just a humanly weakness.

Class ended faster than they anticipated. Usually when one eagerly waits for something, time seems to go on backwards. At the first bell-ring the four teenagers snatched their backpacks without even as much as bothering to put their text-books in, and out they stormed. The weather was pretty cold. It was late November after all. Raging clouds were beginning to invade the sky, clearly a sign of rain. But despite the cold weather the three guys and the girl found shelter under an old tree in the school-yard. Stuff like freezing their butts of or getting a cold were the last thing on their minds.

"Is it true Joey?" Yugi asked through his teeth while trying to fill his langue with air after all the running.

"Yeah. I went by the house this morning and they were there. They've just arrived last night."

"Wait. You have talked to them?" the brown-haired girl asked, somehow not believing his words. Joey was sometimes a daring and over-socially person, but the thought of him going inside that house and meeting the owner was a bit too strange and hard to swallow even coming from him.

"Yeah man. What did you do? You just got into the house like you owned it and had breakfast with them?"

"Shut up Tristan", Joey erupted "it's your damn fault anyway. I just went in to get some evidence and to prove to you that I haven't lied back then. It's just that things had gotten out of hand and well, I kind of said and did something stupid".

Tea filled with anger. Joey could act like such a child sometimes. Who knows what he had done and scared the poor new inhabitants away. "Joey, what did you do?"

"Hey what are you yelling at me for? It was an accident".

Seeing that the fight might oscillate Yugi intertwined "You guys! Stop it." Fortunately his words were enough to put the matter to rest and the subject of the new-comers became the focus of the discussion once again. "So who are they?"

"Well it seems like they're that Amelia chick's relatives: a girl about our age and her mother"

"And how are they like", Tea asked though that was the question on Yugi' s and Tristan's mind, too.

"Well they're ….strange, in a way. I don't know, I can't really explain it. You'll have to meet them in person to know what I mean. I couldn't find out much about them except that they have a whole day of packing in front of them, an aggressive grizzled cat with a name I can't even pronounce, and a beast of a dog that scared me so much I actually was about to wet my pants. I swear if they'd turn out to be witches, it wouldn't surprise me at all"

Whether there actually laid truth behind Joey's words seemed to be of no matter, since the boy's description only fed the other teenagers curiosity even more. "How do they look like? Is the girl cute, 'cause if she is then I'll need to get my game on," Tristan said, an evil smirk forming on his lips.

"Tristan, you pervert", Tea jumped in 'greeting' Tristan with a strong hit on the back of his head, that made Joey laugh. He nevertheless deserved it.

"Actually the girl looks a lot like that chick with white hair that Kaiba's twin and much cooler self saved, back then when we were in Memory World"

"Kisara…", Yugi shouted.

"Yeah…strange, isn't it?"

But strange was not even beginning to describe the situation. Under normal circumstances it would indeed seem strange for a girl to be reincarnated five thousand years later, but then again they weren't normal teenagers and their lives had been, up until now, far from normal. Tea threw Yugi an are-you-thinking-what-I'm-thinking-look and it didn't take them long to come to the agreement to pay the new arrived in town a visit just to show their hospitality.

* * *

"Ligeia, honey, have you seen the box with the china?"

If the house seemed ramshackle just a few hours ago, now it looked like in complete chaos. There were clothes scattered all over the kitchen, the hall and the living-room. Thetis was buried under a heavy pile of woolen sweaters struggling to find a way out of that fluffy hell.

"Is that a trick-question? I can't even tell where my feet are. Mom, this place has officially become a danger zone."

Ligeia was trying to find the box with the food they've brought with them. It was pass noon and they've been up for hours. Needless to say that they were starving. Unfortunately neither Ligeia nor her mother was what one would call a 'practical' and 'well-organized' person. They did manage to pack everything before leaving home, which was a first seeing that they would always forget something; however they had labeled the boxes wrong. So it was a big surprise when they had found cat food in the box for books, and some photo albums, that both Ligeia and Marianne were very fond of, in the one labeled 'crap'. Ligeia started looking for the one labeled 'china' though seeing how things had developed since morning, she doubted she would find them there.

"I can't find anything," Ligeia sobbed and threw herself in a pig pile of summer dresses unsuspecting that someone else had lost himself in that chaos. Fortunately Ligeia wasn't that heavy and Charley had gotten out of it with all his bones intact.

"God! it's after three and I'm starving", Marianne was trying to reach the living-room where her daughter was laying half-asleep on the floor "What do you say we go out exploring and try to figure out where is the closest convenient-store before we starve to death?"

Ligeia jumped on her feet like fried with an iron stick "That's the best idea you had all day. By the way why are we unpacking when we're going to start redecorating next week?"

"Well we have no choice until we get accustomed to how things go around here. I don't think we will be able to start next week. It will be December soon and Christmas is coming and I don't think you'll like eating lebkuchen surrounded by dust and paint and wood. It's better if we leave the redecorating part until next year"

The weather outside had gotten colder. It had been raining for the last four hours, but now, as in an act of mercy for the ones who dared to venture outside, it had stopped. The wind was blowing and the depressing atmosphere of late autumn had surrounded the world in a vale of sadness. It was the perfect weather to stay home, drinking a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fire.

As the chilly air hit their faces, they both wrapped their jackets tighter to their chest. With all the chaos they couldn't find a proper late autumn coat to wear so they had to settle for a summer denim jacket and a couple of extra t-shirts.

"We haven't even been here for a day and already we're developing pneumonia", Ligeia stated as another gust hit her face and she let out a small cough.

"I know, but what can I do? By the way, did you take a piece of paper to make the shopping list?"

"Errr …no. Sorry, I forgot"

"No problem. We can improvise", Marianne said while she started inspecting the inside of her jacket in search of a piece of paper. After what seemed like an epic battle, she found an old receipt for a strawberry milk-shake from the year 2004. It was an old but nevertheless very fashionable jacket that Marianne absolutely adored. She actually got into a cat fight over it a couple of years back while living in Singapore. Some crazy lady tried to still it from her, but Marianne didn't go without a fight.

"Well we solved one problem. We have a piece of paper but nothing to write with", Ligeia noticed while coming down the front house steps.

"Hey, look! Isn't that our stalker?"

Marianne said while pointing towards a group of four teenagers approaching their house. They were wearing the uniforms of the Domino High-School. One of the four had blond hair and looked a lot like the boy who trespassed their propriety just a while ago. There were two more guys with him: a very tall brown-haired guy and a very short one, too short for his age, pointy hair guy, who both Ligeia and Marianne found looked really funny. And there was also a very cheerful brown-haired girl. As the group drew nearer and nearer they both realized that the boy with blond hair was indeed Joey.

"Hey, pretty boy," Marianne shouted causing not only Joey to blush but the other group's members as well, "got a pen?"

* * *

Work - this one little word could define Seto Kaiba's entire life, his entire existence. If one didn't know any better, one would think he was a machine. But the expression _ there's more than meets the eye _ could also be applied in the case of Seto Kaiba. Sure he wasn't you average teenager with his mind trapped between meeting girls and going wild at his favorite rock-band's concert.

But then again he hadn't lived a normal life. His biological parents had died in an accident while he was still very young. And suddenly he found himself at the age of eight with the huge responsibility to look after his baby-brother, Mokuba, as well as after himself. None of their relatives took to heart to provide for him and for Mokuba. They took the money and shipped them to the nearest orphanage. But they couldn't find their place anywhere. It seemed like there was no place for them in the world. It was in that moment that he promised himself and Mokuba that one day he would provide for them and create the life they deserved.

But faith does not lack a macabre sense of humor.

Not long after, when he was about eleven or twelve years old, he and his brother were adopted by a business-man, Gozaburo Kaiba, whose fame lay in the design and selling of war-weapons to the highest better. So they found themselves yet in another home that did not want them. And the real hell began on that day.

Seto was supposed to become the wonder-kid, a genius, perfect in every field. So he was obliged to study day after day and night after night. This Spartan way of education was supposed to make him a successful business-man, which it did. But with a cost. It took away his childhood, but worst of all it took away a part of himself, the part that loved, the part that feared, the part that really lived. And now it was too late to get it back.

Then Gozaburo disappeared and everything should have fallen into place. Except, that didn't happen. Slowly he became the man he always despised. His desire to be the greatest in every field had blinded him and made him loose focus on what was really important: like his promise to Mokuba to create the life they deserved. He wasn't a bad brother, after all Mokuba was the one person he loved more than the entire world and he would do anything for him. But on his ascension to the top he forgot that there's more to a family than a big mansion and a tone of cash.

He failed to acknowledge his duties as an older brother. And so the time he spent with his brother grew less in duration until days went by without as much as a _hello_ between them. Sure, every night he would come home, he would go to his little brother's room to check up on him, but he wouldn't wake him up. Coming home so late at night and leaving for work so early in the morning led no road for surprises when their relationship grew colder due to lack of communication.

Mokuba was the one in pain. He had waited and waited for his brother to come around; he had tried so many times to bring him on the right track, but failed. And now he was feeling more alone than ever. So he withdrew in himself. He broke any type of contact with others, his grades began to sink and he started skipping school. It was a cry for help and Seto realized that. But one night when he wanted to talk to him, he closed the door in his face. Something Mokuba had never done; had never even considered or imagined doing.

But that wasn't the only problem he had to confront. There was another person who was giving him a hard time, who was quarrelling with him because of his choice of life, because of who he had become. It was a year ago that they returned from the Memory World. It was there he had met his other self. Though he would never admit believing in this hocus-pocus, what he had witnessed, what he had felt and endured had been too real for him to just ignore.

And then that girl, Kisara, had come along and changed everything. He tried so hard after that not to change, to continue leaving the way he had until then. And on the surface he had. But inside he was burning. This girl haunted his life. She would visit him night after night. And night after night he had to feel the deep passion and love he had harvested for her, and night after night he had to witness her death and in the same time his whole heart breaking into million pieces.

But last night, it wasn't that vision in white that visited him. No. This vision was wearing dark-blue denim jeans, a black shirt, and a brown trench-coat. And this vision wasn't greeting him from the burning Egyptian sand, but from the Domino City International Airport. And those words that wouldn't show him any rest; those words that tortured him and in the same time gave him hope: _I'm home._

He had been through enough adventures in the past three years alongside Yugi and the others to make him think that maybe what he had dreamt hadn't been in fact a dream but a glimpse in her world. And if that was true then that would mean that she was indeed alive here and now and that this was perhaps the only chance to seeing her again.

But tracking her down turned out to be trickier than he first thought. He had managed to look into the airport's security system and to check the video-records from that day. And after five hours of searching, just when he was about to give up and believe that perhaps it really had been just a dream, he had found her. There on his computer screen lay the figure of literally the girl of his dreams exactly as he had seen her. But from there to finding out who she really was, was a long way.

He had asked the head of the security, which had connections not only to the police department, but to other international organizations as well, to find who that girl really was. And leaving the rest of the work to Mr. Takuma, he left towards his little-brother's school hoping that he would find the chance to talk to him.

* * *

"So you're Ms. Rose's relatives?" Tea asked, a shred of curiosity in his voice.

"Yes. She was an aunt of ours; a distant relative. We are the only living relatives alive", Ligeia said, a shade of red forming on her checks. She was always nervous when meeting new people, because they'd often have a bad impression of her and never give her the chance to show who she really was. But this girl, Tea, she could tell, was really nice, and maybe, just maybe, this was a chance for her to have some human friends for a chance. And why not? She had promised herself that. This new life …she would be happy.

"I'm…uhmm … sorry for your lost. I never met her in person, but I have heard some great things about her".

"Thanks Tea"

"For what?"

"For lying to me just to make me feel better," Ligeia said with a light and comforting smile to a somewhat confused Tea. But she did lie to her. There were hardly any people, who spoke kind words of Amelia Rose. Most of them knew Amelia only by the definition of witch under which she was so often portrayed. Luckily Tea's grandmother, Yuzuriha, had been one of the few who took fancy to the old silver-haired lady in the red-brick mansion.

"You guys, we're here!", a rather impatient Joey shouted to gain the attention of the party's members, who were lost in the conversation. Domino Promenade was perhaps the largest mall complex on the east coast of Japan. And it had everything one needed; from a grocery store to an auto-dealership; from a theater – stage to an arcade. It was like a city within a city.

"Now I know it's a bit far from where you guys live, this is down-town, but it's the greatest place on earth. Hey let's check out the arcade", Joey said eagerly, almost storming off like a rocket, but stopped in time by Yugi, who suggested that due to the long trip, they should probably go and eat something.

Chinese food was always a good choice: some noodle soup, some dumplings and some spring-roles were the perfect menu. The dinner-conversation, for it was almost six o'clock in the evening, was a perfect way for them to get to know each-other better. That's how Ligeia and Marianne found out that Yugi was the King of the Game, or something like that, that they were all into card games, except for Tea, who, by a twisted turn of fate, ended up being friends with them and sort of toggled along; that Joey had a sweet baby-sister, Serenity, whom Tristan was in love with; that Tea liked dancing and that she really wanted to go to a dancing school and they ,in return, found something about the two mysterious ladies; that Marianne was an anthropologist, and with that occasion Joey found out what an anthropologist is and does, and that she had published a lot of books, which was impressing seeing how young she was; that Ligeia had been home schooled, that they had travelled all over the world, that she liked photography and was studying by herself to become a nutritionist.

It had been a great trip, and seeing that they all lived in the same neighborhood they all went on the same way back. It had been a busy day. Needless to say they were all dead-tired. So they finished their evening with a warm good-night and the invitation on the part of Marianne and Ligeia to a party in the name of their new home and the gang's offer to help them unpack.

* * *

The day hadn't been so good for the young CEO. Takuma didn't come out with anything about Kisara yet and the discussion with Mokuba didn't go that well. Seto really felt guilty about the entire situation, he wasn't even disappointed nor upset because of the lack of information. It was all his fault. He had indulged so much in his work, and it started to danger his relationship with his brother. Maybe he should take his brother's advice, take some days off and go on a trip. That would make Mokuba happy.

He decided to go out for a walk and rest his mind for a while. Driving his car could bring him the rest and silence he needed, but the road led him to the east part of Domino, for somehow. It was the neighborhood Yugi and the geek-squad lived in. He was in no mood to talking to them now.

The weather outside seemed wild and tempestuous but it somehow made Seto feel at ease. He decided to get out of the car and take a walk in the neighborhood-park. For some reason he couldn't explain, his steps guided him there.

"Are you going out now? It's gotten dark."

"Yeah. I'm going to take Charley and Thetis for a walk. I won't be long, I promise."

"Ok. But dress up, it's cold outside. And take an umbrella, it looks like it's about to rain," Marianne shouted as Ligeia was heading out of the front door "Okay, mom…"

"Come on, Charley .. Thetis"

Seto Kaiba didn't expect it to be so chilly. He should have taken his trench-coat with him. All that he was wearing was the black turtle-neck blouse and the black jeans and the cold outside started to have an effect on his body, as he felt chills all over it and started sneezing. It had been quite warm inside the car and he seemed to have misjudged the temperature outside it.

Though it wasn't the weather outside that made Seto feel so depressed. He was still upset about Mokuba. But now his thoughts drifted to another person and the image of Kisara in the Domino City International Airport appeared in front of his eyes. He didn't want that. Not now. He needed to focus on Mokuba but somehow she could shake the image Kisara out of his head.

He took a seat on the nearest bench. The park was empty. There was no person in sight and that came to no surprise seeing how dreadful the weather was. A small drop of water fell on top of his head; then another and another. Soon it began pouring, but he didn't mind. He didn't care. The rain begin to pour faster and faster until small pools were slowly beginning to take shape in front of his feet. And small tears were beginning to form in front of his eyes.

"Kisara…" he always regretted not being able to save her and he never forgave herself for that. Regrets had been a great burden for him in the last year and he didn't know how much of it he could endure anymore.

Lost in his train of thoughts he barely noticed that the rain stopped almost instantly and when he raised his eyes he could only distinguish the figure of a woman and a red umbrella being held above his head. And then he heard it, that sweet voice that he had heard thousand times in his dreams, the same mild and soothing voice he had heard the previous night "Here take this", Ligeia said handing her umbrella to the man seating on the bench, not noticing that he was Seto Kaiba "You need it more than I do".

Seto stood up, knees trembling, to take a better look at the girl, to make sure if she indeed was Kisara. Only when they were face-to-face did Ligeia notice that the man standing in front of her was exactly Seto, the one her past self had loved so deeply, the man she was so afraid to face.

"S…Seto", Ligeia barely managed to find the strength to utter his name. Was this real? Was Seto Kaiba seating in front of her, or was it all just a dream?

"Kisara…" no it was no dream. It was real. After five thousand years their paths had crossed once again. Maybe it was faith. Maybe this was their chance to be together forever.

The park went still. No sound could be heard. Rain was pouring over them in a blanket of water but there was no sound. It was like the whole world turned mute. Seto laid his left hand on Ligeia's lower back and pulled her closer towards him. She didn't even twitch. She didn't even protest. Being so close to him, holding her in his arms the way he did felt right. He lifted his right hand to Ligeia's face and lowered his head. Some form of rationality hidden deep inside her mind whispered her that this was not right. Kisara had loved Seth. But she wasn't really Kisara and he wasn't really Seth.

She was Ligeia Carlton, an eighteen year old teenager with a deep passion for photography, and he was Seto Kaiba, owner of the greatest game company in the world. Seto was getting awfully close. She could now feel his breath, the warmth of his body. She could smell his scent, and she was taken in. The whispering voice was led to rest and Ligeia had her first kiss. His lips were so soft, it was mesmerizing. The deeper the kiss, the more right it felt. Until there was no one left in the world, except them.


End file.
